Wolf not thinking about Calder amid strong start

It’s been 15 years since a goalie last won the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s rookie of the year, but Dustin Wolf’s strong start has him on track to garner consideration for the honour. 

Wolf, a 23-year-old seventh-round pick from the 2019 draft, has started nine games for the Calgary Flames so far this season, and is near the top of the goaltending leaderboard in several categories.

Among the 47 goalies who have played at least 300 five-on-five minutes, he’s tied for first in save percentage (.955), third in high-danger save percentage (.884), and second in goals saved above expected (9.59).

The soft-spoken Wolf, who picked up his first career shutout on Friday in a 2-0 win over the Nashville Predators, said he’s flattered by the increased attention but isn’t focused on the award. 

“It doesn’t really matter,” he said on Monday. “My job is to help our team get wins [and] help our team go to the playoffs. If that sort of extra stuff comes along with it, then great.”

Calgary head coach Ryan Huska has a similar approach, preaching patience.

“It’s November,” the coach said when asked about Wolf’s Calder chances. “I don’t think I would even go there yet. I love the guy, and I think he’s done an excellent job…if you do enough and you earn it, people are going to recognize it. But we are way too early for any of that talk, in my opinion.”

Flames goalie coach Jason LaBarbera, who stood between the pipes in 187 games over his 11-year NHL career, stressed how tough it is for goalies to win the award. Just 16 have won the Calder Trophy since it was first awarded in 1933. 

Steve Mason, the last goalie to earn the honour, was awarded the Calder back in 2009 when he won 33 games and had a .916 save percentage for the Columbus Blue Jackets. 

“It’s really hard,” LaBarbera said. “Young [goalies] coming in don’t typically play as much as a player would at these ages…the schedule, the travel, the pressures, it’s a different beast to playing in the [American Hockey League].”

Before his NHL career began, Wolf was an accomplished AHL and Western Hockey League goalie. The California native was the AHL’s top goalie in 2022 and 2023, and its MVP in 2023. He won gold at the World Juniors in 2021 with the United States and was also the Canadian Hockey League's goalie of the year in 2020.

At 166 pounds, Wolf is the second-lightest goalie to have suited up in the NHL over the past 10 seasons, but his play has gotten noticed in a big way. Predators veteran goalie Juuse Saros complemented Wolf after their duel on Friday.

"I like his game,” Saros said. “He had big saves today. I remember when I saw him for the first time playing World Juniors. I've always liked how he plays the game. I'm happy for him that he's been able to take that next step and he's playing really well in this league."

Huska has said that one of Wolf’s biggest assets is his hockey sense. He makes up for his lack of size by anticipating the play before it happens, and rarely gets caught out of position.

LaBarbera commended Wolf for the time he’s put into his craft and his coachability.

“He works his butt off,” LaBarbera said. “He works hard to find pucks. A lot of guys, when the puck gets up top to the point, they give up on it early. He works really hard to find his sightlines, find his lanes, try to find a release.

“His hockey sense comes to play in those situations. He understands the game really well, that he knows how the play is going to develop and what’s sort of going to happen…he scans well, so he always [allows] himself to be ahead of the play.”

The Flames continue to deploy Wolf and Dan Vladar as a tandem, and the two have combined for the best even-strength save percentage in the league.

Huska, however, said that eventually, one goalie will grab a hold of the job for more than a couple of starts in a row. Should Wolf continue his strong play, he’ll make a compelling case for Calder voters in a few months.

For now, he’s embraced an even-keel approach. On one of his masks is the phrase, “Be hungry, be humble, and always be the hardest worker in the room.”

“You can’t be complacent in this league,” he said. “You’ve got to keep working…I don’t think I’ve really done anything yet in this city for us. My job is to go out there each and every day and help our team win hockey games. If I’m doing that, I’m going to be pretty happy with myself.”